Donna E. Lurie

Donna Lurie has an extensive background in arbitration, mediation, facilitation, dispute systems design, job classification & compensation, organizational development,  performance evaluation & improvement plans, discrimination issues, employment law, team building, and issues faced by leaders in non-profit organizations.

Donna Lurie is an attorney with 30+ years’ experience in arbitration, mediation, fact- finding, dispute systems design, job classification and compensation, performance evaluation systems, gender and discrimination issues, labor & employment law, and structural issues faced by leaders in non-profit organizations. Formerly, she served as a chief negotiator, litigator, and workplace mediator. Donna currently serves as an arbitrator for labor, employment, and consumer cases for several agencies and private panels. She has provided conference presentations on legal ethics, arbitrability, and ADR topics. Donna has experience and training in addressing mental health and neurodiversity challenges in cases.

Donna works exclusively as a neutral – offering arbitration, mediation, fact-finding, and other dispute resolution services. She no longer serves as an advocate. Nothing on this website is intended to provide legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed through any exchange of correspondence related to this website.

Issues Handled as an Advocate or as a Neutral

Leave policies, cyber-bullying, sexual harassment, workplace safety, essential job requirements, salary schedules, performance evaluation, probation, workplace investigations, discipline, workforce diversity, substance use, employee assistance programs, professional development models, staffing & layoffs, work calendar, religious holidays, due checkoff & agency shop, workplace communication platforms, posting & bidding, subcontracting, jurisdictional issues, possession of firearms, FMLA, wage & hour, overtime, last chance agreements, and interview panels.

In addition, Donna has arbitrated breach of contract, identity theft, cryptocurrency policies, telecommunications regulations, delivery platforms, and service agreements in consumer and commercial cases.

Representative Clients

Labor and management parties in the private and public sectors; consumers and businesses in the private and public sectors.

Conference Presentations

Conference presenter on Mediating Workplace Disputes, Arbitrability Challenges & Responses, Ethics for Labor Lawyers, Generations in the Workplace, Preparing for Arbitration, Mental Health & Wellness, Mandatory Arbitration clauses, U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on Arbitration, Sexual Harassment, Nondisclosure Agreements, Interest Arbitration Developments, and Working with Neurodiverse Parties as an ADR Practitioner.

Featured Pro Bono Activities

Volunteer Judge for Mediation, Negotiation, and Arbitration law school competitions at Seattle University Law School.

Vice-Chair of WA Bar Dispute Resolution Section – coordinates Section- sponsored webinars and assists the Chair in running Section activities; assists in planning and promoting the annual NW Dispute Resolution Conference.

Former Chair of the King County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section – coordinated all Section activities and programs, facilitated Section meetings, recruited the leadership team, served as a spokesperson for the Section on new rules and opinions affecting dispute resolution practitioners, coordinated amendments to Section Bylaws, and handled interactions with King County Bar Association.

Member of Planning Committee for the annual Pacific Coast Labor & Employment Law Conference – help generate topics, research and recruit speakers, promote the Conference to potential attendees, and welcome new attendees to the Conference.

Community Involvement

Former Board President and current Board Member for NAMI Eastside – East King County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness since 2018: Coordinate affiliate activities and programs with the Executive Director; promote affiliate programs and services to community organizations, funders, and potential donors; Serve as Chair of the Public Policy Committee to advocate for legislation on behavioral health issues; provide workshops on resilience and mental wellness; promote multicultural partnerships with other community social service organizations; assist with the annual Gala and fundraiser; former Team Captain for annual NAMI Walk; and contribute blog articles on mental health topics.

Arbitrator Experience & Training

• Labor, Employment & Consumer Arbitration Panels of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) since 2016
• Labor Arbitrator for Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) since 2017
• Grievance & Law Enforcement Arbitrator for WA Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) since 2020
• Grievance Arbitrator for Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB) since 2020
• California PERB Arbitrator & Fact-Finder since 2024
• Montana Board of Personnel Appeals since 2018
• Alaska Board of Arbitrators since 2019
• King County Personnel Appeals Board – Member of Board since 2024
• Labor Relations Connection (LRC) Arbitrator Panelist since 2025
• Arbitrator of business contract disputes for Superior Court (1991-1994)
• Becoming a Labor Arbitrator course by FMCS in 2013
• King County Arbitrator course for Mandatory Arbitration program in 1990
• Advanced arbitration training with AAA & FMCS since 2017
• Lead on 120+ arbitration cases and briefs; Coach & mentor for colleagues
• Arbitrator of pattern bargaining & interest arbitration cases

Labor Relations Training & Experience

• 35+ years’ experience in labor relations, negotiations, labor & employment law
• Honors graduate of University of Wisconsin Law School – Juris Doctor degree
• Summa Cum Laude graduate of Pennsylvania State University – BA in Labor Relations
• Lead negotiator for school district contracts and drafter of contract language
• Lead for Joint Labor-Management Committees on leave policies, cyber-bullying, sexual harassment, workplace safety, essential job requirements, salary schedules, performance evaluation, probation, workplace investigations, discipline, workforce diversity, substance use, employee assistance programs, professional development models, staffing & layoffs, work calendar, religious holidays, due checkoff & agency shop, workplace communication platforms, subcontracting, jurisdictional issues, posting & bidding, possession of firearms, FMLA, wage & hour, overtime, interview panels.
• Developed grievance and peer mediation programs for public agencies and schools
• Mediator of 100+ workplace disputes, including discrimination & civil rights
• Developed job classification systems for public agencies & school districts
• Advanced Mediation course at Straus Institute, Pepperdine University

Arbitration Fees

• Per diem rate is $300/hour up to $2,000/day. This rate is charged for Hearings and for preparing the Decision and Award. Hearings are charged a minimum of one day unless the parties and I have agreed to another arrangement in advance.
• All cases are subject to cancellation fees after contracting. Matters canceled more than 20 calendar days prior to the scheduled hearing are charged $1,000 plus any unrefunded travel expenses. Matters canceled 20 or fewer calendar days prior to the hearing are charged $2,000 plus unrefunded travel costs. No cancellation fee is charged for unused hearing dates in cases completed earlier than originally scheduled.
• I do not charge for travel time or meals. I charge the IRS mileage rate for vehicle travel outside Seattle, Washington and any necessary lodging and transportation costs.
• Additional information can be found in the Terms of Engagement

Languages

• English

Legal Specialties and Certifications

College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, Fellow (2025)

The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers is a non-profit professional association
honoring the leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of Labor and Employment Law. Fellows are
recognized as distinguished members of the labor and employment community who promote
achievement, advancement and excellence in the practice by setting standards of professionalism and
civility, by sharing their experience and knowledge and by acting as a resource for academia, the
government, the judiciary and the community at large.

American Arbitration Association, Labor Panelist (since 2016)

In unionized workplaces, disputes can arise between labor and management, impacting productivity, morale, and the overall work environment. The American Arbitration Association® (AAA®) offers specialized labor arbitration services to help resolve these conflicts fairly, efficiently, and impartially.

American Arbitration Association Employment, Panelist (since 2019)

Workplace conflicts can stem from a wide variety of issues, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage-related matters. The American Arbitration Association’s® (AAA’s®) employment arbitration services provide a trusted, efficient, and neutral forum for resolving employment and workplace conflicts, helping employers and employees achieve fair resolutions without the high costs and delays of litigation.

American Arbitration Association Consumer, Panelist (since 2020)

The American Arbitration Association® (AAA®) is dedicated to the fair and impartial resolution of consumer disputes. Guided by the AAA Consumer Due Process Protocol, developed in collaboration with industry and consumer representatives, the AAA is committed to protecting the rights and interests of all parties. The AAA applies these standards and the AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules to the arbitration of disputes involving products or services for personal or household use.

FMCS Arbitration Roster, Labor Arbitrator (since 2017)

FMCS Arbitration Services provides arbitration and fact-finding services for parties seeking dispute resolution through its roster of approximately 1,000 arbitrators. It also oversees the roster to assure compliance with FMCS policies and procedures and with the Code of Professional Responsibility for Arbitrators of Labor-Management Disputes.

Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB), Arbitrator Panelist (since 2020)

The ERB resolves disputes concerning labor relations for an estimated 3,000 different employers and 250,000 employees in public and private sector under its jurisdiction. The Board administers the collective bargaining law that covers public employees of the State of Oregon and its cities, counties, school districts, and other local governments and administers the collective bargaining law that regulates private employers who are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act.

National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM), Arbitrator Panelist (since 2022)

NAM offers three primary forms of arbitration: 1) Open Arbitration: a hearing in which the arbitrator hears a case and renders a final decision; 2) High-Low Arbitration: a process in which the parties, by agreement, restrict the range of an Arbitrator’s decision by establishing “high” and “low” parameters; and 3) Baseball Arbitration: submission by each party of his/her last best figure and the reason why it should be accepted with the Hearing Officer’s determination being restricted to either one figure or the other.

WA Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), Labor Arbitrator (2020)

PERC provides neutral arbitrators to resolve disputes over the interpretation or application of a collective bargaining agreement (grievance arbitration) or over the actual terms of a collective bargaining agreement (interest arbitration).

PERC Law Enforcement Discipline Arbitrator, Panelist (since 2021)

Washington RCW 41.58.070 requires that all arbitrations of law enforcement and corrections personnel disciplinary grievances come from the roster of arbitrators approved by the PERC Commission.

Montana Board of Personnel Appeals, Arbitrator Panelist (renewed in 2025)

The Montana Board of Personnel Appeal maintains a roster of qualified arbitrators to hear disputes arising out of collective bargaining agreement interpretation in the public sector, State of Montana, political subdivisions of the State, and school districts.

California PERB Panel, Arbitrator & Fact Finder (since 2024)

The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) is a quasi-judicial administrative agency charged with administering the collective bargaining statutes covering employees of California’s public schools, colleges, and universities, employees of the State of California, employees of California local public agencies (cities, counties and special districts), trial court employees, trial court interpreters, supervisory employees of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Judicial Council employees, Orange County Transportation Authority employees, Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) employees, Sacramento Regional Transit District employees, Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District employees, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employees, and child care providers who participate in a state-funded early care and education program.

King County Personnel Appeals Board, Member of Board (since 2024)

The King County Personnel Board was created by the County Charter, Article 5, Section 540, to hear and decide certain kinds of appeals from County employees who are members of the Career Service, and who choose not to pursue a grievance procedure under an applicable bargaining agreement, if any.

Alaska Board of Arbitrators, Arbitrator Panelist (renewed in 2025)

Member of Arbitrator Panel maintained by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to resolve labor-management disputes and grievances.

Labor Relations Connection (LRC), Arbitrator Panelist (2025)

The LRC offers Labor Arbitration, Mediation, Interest Arbitration, and Fact-Finding services for parties seeking quality case administration at a lower cost.

National Mediation Board, Arbitrator Panelist (since 2023)

The National Mediation Board helps to maintain the flow of interstate commerce in the airline and railway industries through representation, mediation and arbitration services